130 THE HERRING FISHERY 



were employing no fewer than 152 vessels off 

 the coast of Ireland, while the Scots had only 

 seventeen vessels employing a total of 174 men. 

 The Dutch, in fact, called their herring fishery 

 their " gold mine," and this fishing was carried 

 on entirely on the coasts of Britain. It is 

 startling to find that in 1750 1,100 British 

 fishermen were engaged in Dutch fishing boats, 

 and George Walker, recommending the for- 

 mation of a company to promote the British 

 fishery, suggests that the King should call 

 home all British seamen for employment in 

 British waters. 



One writer of the period makes the useful 

 suggestion that Parliament should employ 

 in the herring industry the crews of ships 

 of war discharged in consequence of peace and 

 that 400 vessels of fifty to a hundred tons each 

 should be provided for this purpose by the 

 State, which was to be a partner in the under- 

 taking.^ 



In the circumstances it is not surprising to 

 find George II. in his speech at the opening of 

 Parliament in 1749 making a reference to the 

 English industry and the advantages to be 

 derived from encouraging it. The House of 

 Commons thereupon appointed a committee 

 to look into the matter, and many books and 



* There are many other pamphlets quoted by Mitchell in his 

 masterly work on the Herring, from page 195 onwards, which should 

 be of great value to those who are turning their attention to the 

 development of this country's resources, and more especially to 

 British fisheries. 



